ABSTRACT
UK law gives some protection from the bogus invoice type of scam by way of the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971, which makes it an offence to send out unsolicited invoices. Some bogus directory pushers promote the likelihood of a sale by including with their 'bill' a clipping from legitimate Yellow Pages showing the victim's genuine entry. In the United States, the most common directory scam is the 'Yellow Pages' scam. Because of the structure of the US telephone industry, a number of legitimate companies produce and distribute Yellow Pages directories. The key to avoiding the directory scam is awareness training to make sure that anyone likely to receive a bogus invoice recognizes it for what it is and that the invoice payments section acts as an effective backstop if one gets through the system. When the next one arrives, circulate it together with an explanatory note to other potential recipients.
